1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure for mounting an electric element, such as a switch, or the like, to an electric apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many electric/electronic apparatuses use many electric elements, such as switches, indicator lamps, resistors, timers and connectors, which are arranged in a casing or a cabinet of the apparatus. Some of the electric elements include manual operating parts or visible parts which are exposed to the outside of the front panel of the casing though openings in the casing. The front panel is intended to have a good feeling of the operation and a good appearance.
The switches, or the like, are usually secured to the inner surface of the front panel or wall of the casing, or the switches, or the like, are sometimes secured in the opening of the front panel of the casing, because such a mounting is advantageous in ensuring a good feeling of the operation and a good appearance of the apparatus.
Examples of conventional structures for mounting a switch to a casing are shown in FIGS. 9 to 12 in the attached drawings. In FIG. 9, a part of a switch 112 is inserted in an opening 114 of a wall or a front panel 110 of a casing of an electric apparatus and the switch 112 is secured to the front surface of the wall 110 by screws 116. In FIG. 10, the switch 112 is inserted in the opening 114 of the wall 110 and secured to the inner surface of the wall 110 by screws 116. These structures allow tile switch 112 to be reliably fixed, but involve an undesirable increase in labor or time for assembling the electric/electronic apparatus and for maintenance.
In FIG. 11, an example of a snap-fit type structure is shown in which the switch 112 has elastically deformable projections 123. The body of the switch 112 is inserted in the opening 114 of the wall 110 of the casing, as shown by the arrow, and the switch 112 is fixed to the wall 110 of the casing by a snap action of the elastically deformable projections 123 when the projections 123 pass through the opening 114. In this structure, the assembling work of the electric/electronic apparatus is facilitated, but the dismounting of the switch 112 from the wall 110 is somewhat difficult. In addition, the elastically deformable projections 123 may not exactly fit in the wall 110 due to the relationship of the projections 123 and the opening 114, so the switch 112 may be undesirably moved in the opening 114 of the wall 110 during use.
In FIG. 12, a further example is shown in which the switch 112 is arranged in the wall 110 and a manual operating part 133 of the switch 112 extends through the opening 114 of the wall 110. A boss 136 is arranged on the inner surface of the wall 110, and the switch 112 is secured to the wall 110 by an elastic strip 138 which is fastened to the boss 136 by a screw 137. Such a structure is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 5-90771.
In this prior art, the elastic strip 138 is of a cantilevered structure and the switch-holding mechanism may change with a lapse of time so that the switch 112 may not be firmly held. Also, this structure involves an undesirable increase in labor or time for assembling the electric/electronic apparatus and for maintenance.